Photo Post!

This photograph represents Pip, and the dark side of his life. Pip does have Joyful moments, but the darkness overpowers them, with his guilt and shame pulling down and sticking with him through the deep pages and chapters of his life in the book. From his childhood when he feels guilty about feeling ashamed of his family and social class, to his adulthood, feeling guilty for Mrs. Joes death. Pip is sort of a tortured soul, imprisoned by the circumstances of his wide imagination, and life. Through the surrounding darkness in the photograph, a twinkle still manages to penetrate and show a hopeful spirtit underneath, as observed in Pip's character.

Making Connections

Great Expectations and Despicable Me have many similarities, if you really think about it. Sure, Despicable Me is a newer story, but the characters Pip and Gru hit similar issues while going through their lives. Both of  these characters have the desire to be somebody they aren't on the inside. Pip wants to move to a higher social class and become a gentleman, and Gru wants to move higher in the"villains social class" and be the best villein in the world. Once Pip and Gru finally reach their goals, they don't feel as fulfilled as they thought they would. They feel as if they were happier when they were lower in the ranks.

Some motifs that tie through both stories are guilt and shame. After the two characters actually get what they want, they feel guilty and ashamed of themselves, about their attitudes to their loved ones. Pip is controlling and almost fake towards his family, and Gru doesn't go after his little girls when they are taken back to the orphanage. As seen in both of these stories, there is always a way to turn your  bad feelings, into good ones.

Great Expectations ~ The Second Stage

Over the coarse of Great Expectations so far,  Pip's Character has developed significantly. He goes from being an innocent little boy with little worries,  to a little boy who has a great weight of guilt and shame towards his life and family on his back. Next, he moves on to greater things, like becoming a gentleman, but along with that package comes his attitude towards loved ones that he is better than them because he is the one with the  excellent opportunity. After going through that, and getting to go away to London,  he turns his bratty attitude around to reveal his real self, a much more gentlemanly  gentleman.

One motif that goes along with this, is shame. In Pip's childhood, he feels ashamed of his loved ones, and himself, because they are common people with little money, thick boots, and coarse hands. His family and friends, on the other hand, don't seem to mind very much, but the feeling of shame transfers to them, when Pip gets his fortune. Of course they are happy for him, but they are also ashamed that he could just turn on them, and act like somebody they don't know.

Quotation Response

In Pip's quote, he is referring to his day at Miss Havisham's. If he never lived this day, he would have been a whole different person. It changes his views about himself, and his family. He had never really thought of himself as "common" or felt bad about his  thick boots, tough hands, or especially Joe. Over the coarse of just a few chapters Pip's character greatly changes. He becomes slightly tougher, and is determined  to make himself uncommon. In chapter 10,  he starts this off by going to learn a little bit from Bitty.

I think one of my most life altering days was when I met my best friend Ella. Looking back on that time, I didn't really get along with  a couple of my other friends. We would get into fights most days, and it wasn't very enjoyable being  around them anymore. Meeting Ella showed me that not all best friends had to fight, and struggle with their relationship. Ella and I connected extremely well, and it greatly changed my life, and the person I am today.